Gone With the Early Morning Sunrise
by The Sounds of Silence
Summary: A female from the CSI:LV criminalist department is missing. Does she have what it takes to survive? Will the team be able to find her before it's too late? Read to find out. Chapter 18 up now.
1. Gone With the Early Morning Sunrise

It was early morning; the sun had barely begun to break the horizon with purples, oranges, and yellows dancing across the Nevada sky. Her skin, such a light shade of porcelain was illuminated by the early morning light. Her eyes were closed with lashes long and feathery on her cheek, a slender nose that led to her full pink and pouty lips. She was thin, almost too much so, but had a pear silhouette that showed through her red Egyptian cotton sheet that was gently splayed across her hip.

She lay facing the sunrise as he watched her sleep, her chest delicately rising and falling. She was unaware of him watching her, wanting her. Unaware that he had sat many nights outside her balcony window watching her, taking pictures of her, savoring her form. Tonight was different though; tonight he had come inside and sat at the edge of her bed, watching her, raping her with his eyes.

She lay unknowing when he took a needle and a vial from his coat pocket, unsheathing the protective seal off the needle, ripping off the plastic cap, and plunging it into the vial, filling the needle with its liquid. She lay unknowing when he stuck the needle into her hip and filling the liquid into her body. It was then that she woke; it was then that she saw the dark figure sitting in front of her; it was then that she noticed that could no longer move. It was then that she knew she was in severe danger.

She could not protest, neither physically or vocally, when he lifted her from her bed taking the sheet and covering her with it. Brushing her cheek gently with his finger, tucking stray strands of hair behind her ears, making sure to support her neck cradling her like a baby, and carries her out of her own house.

Now the sun was just barely above the horizon, shedding deeper and brighter shades of purples, oranges, and yellows. The colors glow upon her skin, radiating the beauty that she is. Her captor then opens the passenger side door to a black sports car and places her gently into the back seat buckling her into the waist belt. He smiles at her taking in her appearance lying there helpless, and takes out yet another vial and plunges the same needle into it filling it with this new liquid. And again he sticks the needle into her hip except this time everything went hazy when her captor shut out the light of the early morning sunrise.


	2. Alone in A Sea of Dull Gray

No one would notice she was gone for a while. She had no family or friends; all she knew was her job and her co-workers. Once she had been close with some of them but that had long since faded as it frequently did within her life. She was never good enough to keep around for long. She had always been the person one went to talk to about their problems, since she had been through most anything life could deal.

She was the sort of person who wore her heart on her sleeve and cared too much for people, even the ones that she had just met, it was her nature. Her heart was too big for anyone to handle and therefore she was left alone, unwillingly but none the less alone.

No one would be calling her to go out to do something. No one would know that she was gone until she didn't show up for work the following night. No one would notice and maybe by the time that they did, it would be too late.

She shivered as she awoke from her thought filled dream and realized that it was actually happening, for she was not in her own bed or even her own house. She awoke to a room devoid of color, the walls painted a dull gray and only a ceiling fan and the bed she lay upon to fill it. It was very cold as she notice the goose bumps form along her porcelain skin, and then she saw that she was only clad in her emerald lace bra and panties that she had lazily gotten into bed in after simply slipping out of her work clothes and throwing her blanket over herself. And that too was still wrapped around her; swaddling her like an infant in its crib.

Both the emerald and red that emanated from her, made a focal point within the room of dull gray. She still could not move for the drug had not waned or her captor had simply given her more of it. She was surprisingly not afraid but very much on the contrary was tranquil, most likely the effect of the drug. Her captor thus forth had not harmed her but he was a captor none the less and had taken her from the safety of her own home, drugged her, and put her into this room.

She hoped that soon someone; anyone would come looking for her.

A/N: For the simplicity of not confusing anyone and also to keep the story uncomplicated, I have decided not to name the actual medications used within this story. For one I don't want to give anyone a handbook on how to do this sort of thing and to be honest I don't want to worry about the outlandish spelling of them either.

P.S.Please tell me what you thought in a review my dear readers.


	3. A Haven Void of Sentiments

Reds, purples, and rich greens assaulted the room in an exotic and original tone that accented the occupants' personality. Only she wasn't within it.

The only indication that she was in fact missing was the fact that her bed sheet was missing and yet no personal effects were gone. There was no sign of a struggle, nothing out of place. Her house was immaculate and decorated with the ardor in which she had no where else to place. Her home was a haven void of any pictures or sentiments of her past but was done up in a lavish purple and many self made paintings hung in the rooms of the house.

Crime scene tape was wrapped around the perimeter of the house and police cars sat guarding the well- kept house from the public that had slowly started to surround it, wanting to see what had happened. Pulling up in one Denali was the crime scene unit. They all climbed out with mixed emotions on their faces but all at the same time tried to suppress their feelings and stay professional for the sake of finding the missing woman.

They ducked beneath the tape and up the cement walkway lined with daffodils. Rose bushes grew tall beneath the bay windows on the front of the house, protecting the well kept gardens beneath them. Upon entering the house, the team stopped and peered upon the house of one of their own. It was a first for any of them to set foot within it, for they had not known that she owned a house.

Each and every one of them felt the guilt weighing upon their hearts, for they had not known of her change, no one had asked nor cared. The only reason they had known she was gone was because of two facts: she had not shown up to work and a next door neighbor had noticed the door ajar and had called the police.

As they surveyed the house they learned new things about this woman. Simple things, like she is a passionate painter, a poet drabbling about philosophy and nature. That she is full of color and life. Yet at the same time empty of any personal attributes, there were no pictures of her or friends, no family snapshots, nothing.

A computer sits amidst a sea of files symbolizing grimly that her life is her job. Bookcases line this room's walls and are filled with books, and upon first look are all forensic textbooks and the like, but upon further inspection lay books intended for pleasure reading. Stories about life and death, love and loss, stories about anything under the stars and beyond.

Two guest bedrooms appear before her bedroom, with her walk in closet half filled with clothes she will probably never have the chance to wear. And a master bath with two sinks; a hers and his, yet there is no one to occupy the second. There is a tub and a standing shower both enclosed with an unfrosted glass. Candles line the shelves and fluffy towels mount high upon a rack.

Her bedroom is intimate and neat as the rest of the house is. The bed lays unmade and stands out within the room. And upon the pillow lie an envelope and a rose. Gloved hands gently pick up the envelope addressed "Re: Sidle" and open it delicately and swiftly with the sole intention of seeing what is inside. Falling from the envelope is a letter and a USB flash drive. Attached to the letter is a picture, a picture of a smiling Sara Sidle. The letter reads: WATCH ME MAKE THAT SMILE DISSAPEAR.

The team files quickly into her library and load up the flash drive. A web page with a numerical IP address fills the screen, a button reading: "SHE'S MINE NOW, AND YOU CAN ONLY WATCH." appears. Upon clicking the button a video player fills the screen


	4. Restrained By Piercing Eyes

Sara had watched two suns set outside the window that filled a small area upon the far wall. Two days had passed that she knew of and had not slept since she had awoken two days prior.

Her throat was burning and her mouth was as dry as the desert that lay just beyond the four walls of the room she has been entrapped in. Her eyes droop heavily not from being tired but from her body being absolutely exhausted. Her stomach, empty, grinds against itself in retaliation. Her mouth starts to water as the retaliation reaches its peak and empties itself, only of the acids that were held within. Still unable to move she lays still next to her own vomit, repulsed with herself. It is then she notices the presence within the room. Adverting her eyes towards the now open door she sees the darkened figure standing there, staring at her, piecing holes in her with his eyes, and it is then that she feels her absent fear.

He walks briskly over to her and picks her up with ease, the sheet falls from her leaving her exposed in his arms. She searches the bright room that she is carried into with squinted eyes, only to find camera equipment, a computer, a table covered with a black tarp, and a chair that she was soon sitting in, her arms, waist, and legs strapped tightly within it.

For the first time the man spoke to her, his voice gravely and eerily calm, "You're friends have decided to come and watch our fun my love." Brushing her cheek lightly with his index finger and simultaneously with his free hand sticks yet another needle into her arm, pushing the fluid into her vein. Now walking away from her and to the covered table, heaving the black tarp off and across the room, and to Sara's horror, upon the table lays vials upon vials of drugs reading all sorts of names, needles and knives, all sorts of paraphernalia that she knew would cause her pain.

"Say hello to your friends, Sara, it's quite rude to ignore them." He snickers and directs her attention to the camera before her, its light glowing red, and her image upon the computer behind it. She had regained her ability to move but being restrained with the leather straps that bound her to the chair, she had no choice but to stay still.

"It's a good thing that you're not fighting the inevitable, my love. For me and you are going to take quite a ride, now shall we begin?" His smirk made her sick and so turned her attention back to the camera, praying that they were watching, trying to find her and then that they weren't, for if she knew what lay ahead and that she could not be saved, then she didn't want them to see her pitiful excuse for a life come to an end.

A/N: I respond personally to every review that I get. If you do not wish for me to respond to your review(for maybe some it may be annoying or what not), please just put PDNR(please do not respond) within your review and I will not.

I hope you all are happy with this story thus far, the reviews tell me that you are! Hopefully I can keep it that way.


	5. Rooms Filled By Static and Sound

The video-player turned onto a dark screen. No sound or picture appeared for more than a few minutes. The team sat in silence as they waited for something, anything to happen and at the same time afraid that it would. Sitting on the edge of their seats, which they had pulled from around the room and in front of the computer as close as they could all get each one of them afraid of what lay ahead for Sara.

The tension and silence was broken as they all were startled from their own thoughts as the video player picked up. And after a minute or so they watched as a darkened figure; clothed in all black, his face covered with a ski mask, carry a limp Sara into the cameras view. She momentarily disappeared as he strapped her into a chair, stepping away with a needle in his hand. He stepped off camera leaving Sara alone, her head slumped on her chest. Moments later she raised her head to look over to where the man had gone and then straight into the camera. So many emotions passed her face but within her eyes lay nothing but sadness.

* * *

Sara looked on as the man fiddled through the contents on the table, picking up vials and examining them and feeling the edges of blades. He took out a cigarette and lit it, except he didn't put it into his mouth. He walked back over to her and ran the smooth side down her cheek, the smell of smoke invading her nose. Turning up both her hands, so that they were facing palms up, Sara realized what he was about to do and braced herself.

Twirling the cigarette around in her palm, her skin burning away, yet Sara does not scream. Tears stream down her face but she does not openly cry as he digs the cigarette into her hand five more times.

Leaning over her shoulder he whispered, "You've been bad my love, for leaving me was never an option. You're going to be mine forever."

* * *

They watched in horror as Sara's palm was burned. But they all knew that it was only the beginning.

Sitting still within Sara's library was the crime scene unit, with the exception of Greg and Catherine who had left an hour prior for they had gone back to the lab to process the evidence they had found, however few it may have been it was still vital.

The man walked away from Sara just as Catherine and Greg entered the room.

"We have nothing," Catherine whispered, "except for this," motioning towards the computer, "how's she holding up?"

No one answered her question as static and sound filled the room.

* * *

Sara was bordering on the verge of insanity as she felt the burning run up the nerves in her arm and spread throughout her body like a deadly disease. He had to have laced the cigarette for a cigarette burn surely didn't hurt this much or maybe it was the cold that made her shake now. Her feet went numb long ago and the numbness started to encroach upon the rest of her body. She shivered as her captor walked back towards her with IV's in both hands. When he reached her he kneeled on the left side of her, tying her arm off, flicking at her vein, then quickly swabbed her arm with an alcohol pad, and stuck the needle into her vein. Before standing and moving to her right side, he ran his hand up her leg and into the inside of her thigh squeezing it slightly. He smirked and lifted himself up off the floor and made his way around, kneeling on the right side of her now, tying the second arm off, flicking at her right vein, then quickly swabbing her arm with the alcohol pad, and stuck the needle into her vein once again.

Sara did not understand why he would put an IV into both of her arms but was sure that she would soon find out.

* * *

Each and every one of them felt helpless. Utterly and inexplicably helpless. They had nothing to do no more evidence to process or to follow. All they could do was watch as Sara suffered and hope to find some clue to where she was being kept.

They watched as Sara was clad with two IV's and watched as the captor pushed a fluid into her left arm. Her eyes quickly started to flutter, then droop, until they finally closed all together. Her head resting again on her chest, apparently put into a drug induced sleep, looked peaceful for the moment that she was left that way. They watched again as he walked to the other side of her and pulled out another needle full of fluid and pushed it into her right arm.

Sara immediately jolted awake and the room was pierced by her agonizing scream.

* * *

Her heart pumped what seemed to be fire throughout her entire body. Her eyes started to tear uncontrollably as they seemed to want to burst from their sockets. She screamed because breathing was not an option when her lungs felt like they were being turned inside out. She screamed because her brain was telling her to. She screamed because there was nothing else she could do.

He let her scream and watched her fight the pain which she could not rid herself of. He watched and loved it for she had not known how much she had hurt him and so in turn was showing her. He relieved her for a few moments as he counteracted the drug with the other, pushing it yet again into her left vein. She fell silent within seconds and her head slumped upon her chest once again. Her breathing started to even out only to be quickened again when he pushed the fire back into her body.

Again and again and again.

It seemed to Sara that this hell would never end but then, by some miracle, her world finally began to fade as she fell into a black miasma that imprisoned her.

* * *

A/N: For those confused by the word miasma, within this instance it means to fall into an unwholesome or menacing atmosphere.

That was very long and tortuous to write, and it is not even half done with yet. But I hope you all hated to love it like me.


	6. Emotions Run Silently Askew

Emotions were askew within the library. Tears fell down most everyone's face. Grissom however sat stoic within his chair, the only hint of emotion upon him was the fact that he kept wringing his hands together. He had not said a word since the screen had shown up with Sara's image.

Brass had come to try and help or comfort the team but had left as soon as Sara started screaming. For in his heart he felt like Sara's surrogate father, and as a father could not bare to watch his precious child suffer when he could not protect her.

Catherine sat in tears, sobbing, for she could not imagine how much pain the poor girl was in. She sobbed for if Sara died, she would never get the chance to say that she was sorry for being unkind to her over the years and not respecting her enough as a co-worker. Catherine sobbed because she might never get the chance to know her as a friend. She sobbed because she felt the guilt tugging at her heart for not knowing her.

Warrick sat holding his best game face on, though it was mocked by the tears that fell gradually down his face. He was afraid, although he would never admit it, that he would never get to hang out with Sara again like the old days. When Sara, Nick, and himself would go out for a drink every now and then or just went to one another's houses to play a game of cards or to watch a movie. He was afraid that he was about to lose one of the best friends he had ever had.

Greg sat stiffly in his chair, mesmerized by the images that he watched, the images that he did not even begin to believe. For if he believed what his eyes showed him, he may never be able to see the old Sara. The smiling one that he could joke around with, the one he could playfully flirt with, the one he was so easily comforted by when she laughed at one of his corny jokes. If Greg believed what he saw, he may never be able to stop feeling the pain that threatened to overrun him.

Nick knew. He knew what it felt like to be helpless, to not be able to fight back. He knew and felt the pain rising in his throat, the pain that one tries to suppress when they are about to let everything fall. His eyes cried and his heart hurt, for he too knew that he may never see Sara again. Never see her sideways smile or see how her curly hair, when she left it that way, coiled around her face. He may never hear her airless voice or her soft humming as she worked. He would never again feel the love she gave or the reassurance she had given when he was lost. He would never know what else she had to offer.

The room stayed eerily quiet. None spoke. All they could do was watch as Sara lay unmoving in her confinement. All they could do was sit silent in the darkened room illuminated only by the computer screen. None spoke, for they were afraid that if they did the connection they had between Sara and themselves would be lost. Afraid of missing one second of her image that played ethereal across their faces.

* * *

A/N: The next chapter will be up soon and I just want to thank all of my reviewers for you all are wonderful people.

Drop a review and warm my heart.


	7. Hauntingly Come the Memories

Water crashed onto her head as she fell back into the turbulent ocean. Quickly grabbing her board, she paddled herself back to shore. She hopped up over the rift and onto the break of the water that tried to knock her off her feet, but from years of experience she dug her feet into the rocky sand and ran up when the wave started to pull back.

She dug her long board into the sand and threw herself into the hot, soft sand. Her skinny, muscular, and shapely figure lay there undisturbed until someone stood in front of her sunlight, casting their shadow down on her.

She looked up shading her eyes from the sun and smiled at the people before her. They were all drenched and wet sand covered their skin.

"Ya know Sidley I will never understand how you do that." said a boy about her age offering his hand to her.

"Stop calling me that, my names Sara you big klutz. You've known me for how long and you still can't get it straight. And it's called talent something you obviously don't have." Sara said while taking his hand and standing up.

The other teenage girls dug their boards into the sand and surrounded Sara, one of them saying, "You do know she's right, guys just don't have stability aptitude like us girls."

"You really think so?" the guys looked at each other and each grabbed a girl tossing them over their shoulders. They all squealed and threatened the guys but they were lost in mid-air as each girl screamed as they where thrown into a wave.

The guys laughed on shore and looked on as the five girls got there footing and stood up, "You know your going to get it." One of them yelled at them. But it was a meaningless threat as the girls reduced into giggles, standing in a row, holding each other, their arms slung around each others waists. And yelled at the top of their lungs, "Fab-Five For Life!"

* * *

Everything started to fade and Sara looked around feeling distressed. But then she awoke to the horrid reality that surrounded her. She was dripping wet, for cold water had been thrown on her in order to wake her from her stupor. Already the feelings of happiness and freedom had been drained from her. She was still within the room, strapped within the chair. She looked up and stared into the camera and then at herself upon the screen of the computer. This was her fate, this was what was real. This may be the end. 

She watched as the man crossed in front of her setting up a film reel. As he turned it on black film splatter filled the wall and then came the home movie at which he paused so that it was distorted. He walked past her again and picked two packets up off the table. Kneeling before her, he ripped both of them open and pulled out four tape cubes. Placing one at the top and bottom of the outside of her eyes; forcing them open. Turning away from her he turned the film back on. The images playing back against her face.

At first it was home videos of her in high school and college that her and her friends had filmed but then it turned to her family, she tried to look away but she could not, for everywhere she could turn the image played. They were movies taken in order to appear like a normal family, but they were not. Sara was wearing a dress and had a bonnet on her head, small ringlets framing her sad little face. Clad in a suit, her brother, who was much older than she, sat behind her, holding her up against his body as they sat upon a blanket on the beach. Timothy. She remembered how he always protected her. Until the day he left; promising to come back for her.

He never did. For he had soon forgotten about her and when she was older came to her saying how sorry he was for everything. She had taken him in her arms and let him cry himself to sleep. For he had comforted her for so many years; it was her turn. But it would be the one and only time that she would hold him for that night he had fallen asleep andnever awoken. He had diedwithin her arms that night.

She watched as her brother tried to make her laugh. He made inane faces at her and tried tickling her but to no avail only a small smile played at her lips.

Tears now fell down her face; unrelenting they fell and threatened to never end.

The next part of the film was a news clip. The night that had ended the horror of her young life, and yet at the same time began a new horror all its own. A news reporter took up most of the screen but she could still see the house. The house that haunted her dreams, the house in which everything happened. The voice of the reporter faded out of Sara's hearing as she saw the frail girl sitting in the cop car, her slim legs hanging out; bruises evident even from the far distance that she was. And then the girl looked over towards the camera which panned in and filling the screen was her face, Sara's face, the face of a lost girl, which held the eyes that had nothing within them, the little girl was alive but dead within. Poor little brown eyed girl. Strawberry- blonde curls framing her face. A beauty even through her pain.

He paused the tape, letting Sara take in herself. And she did. She was mesmerized by what she saw. She could not let herself go, her image, for everything stopped in that moment. She did not breathe, she did not cry, everything stopped. She took in what she saw and remembered. And then it stopped as the screen went dark and Sara screamed.

* * *

A/N: The name, Sidley, above, in the memory, is pronounced Sid-a-lee. 

That's important me. Don't ask me why.

Reviews are always welcomed. They warm my heart.

P.S. For those of you reading my other stories, I kinda went update happy, so they all have a new chapter up.


	8. Fading Smiles in the Darkness

They had all seen the video, for the captor had turned the camera from Sara to the wall on which the film played. They were in shock at what they saw, the past that Sara had hid so well from them. Playing on the screen, the reporter told them everything, Sara's small face filling the screen confirming it all.

All was still within the room when Sara screamed out as the screen turned black. Slicing the silence like a light in the pitch dark. Her scream had startled them all, for it had been deathly silent for a long while. Her scream had caused them all to wonder how she had kept her secrets hidden in the dark, so far away from each of them.

But then again no one had ever asked why she was so attached to certain cases, why she felt so much for the victims, why she always put too much of herself into a case. Now they all knew. Sara had been a victim. And now she was again. Reliving a new hell.

The screen stayed dark for what seemed like forever. But then it turned up again, blaring white and blinding them. A slideshow appeared and began its reel. Picture upon picture of Sara. At work. At home. In bed. In the shower. Personal snippets of her life, stolen from her without her ever knowing.

He had followed her, stalked her, and manipulated a trust that she had never given out to begin with. He had stolen her with the sunrise. He had stolen her from them. He had taken her life and was playing with it. Fluctuating it with the flip of a coin.

Would she flip heads or tails? and which symbolized death and which life? Or would both flip and mean the same. Was it hopeless to think that they would see her alive again.

Pictures still faded across the screen. Sara smiling. Sara laughing. Sara frowning. Sara deep in thought. Every type of emotion splayed across the screen. And then came a short video clip. It showed a younger Sara smiling into the camera long silky hair curling around her face, her eyes were shining in the sunlight, and her voice spoke to them.

"_There was a time when I thought that things would never stop getting worse. When finally the bottom would crumble from underneath me and I would fall forever into the bottomless chasm that was my life. But now, now I'm here and you guys have shown me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Not only have you shown me that but you have brought me out of that tunnel and shown me that life is not always cruel. That life can get better if you only let it. And I just want to thank you all for that."_ Her voice breaks off but she recovers after a few moments and begins again, _"I want to thank you for bringing beauty and spirit into my life. I want to thank you for teaching me how to love and trust again. But what I want to thank you most for is for teaching me how to live again. For without that I would be nothing." _Her voice breaks off once more but then she regains her composure for the last time. _"So here's to you guys. Here's to every memory that you've given me. Here's to us separatingand going off to college. Here's a goodbye that is not really a goodbye, for I will always be right here," _Placing her hand on her heart, "_with each you."_

The clip ended with the face of a happy Sara with tears falling down her face. She smiled directly at the camera her hair blowing in the wind, the waves crashing behind her, seeming as if she were smiling at them. And then she faded away into the darkness.

* * *

A/N: Keep in mind that I have interpreted Sara's high school years to have been the best of her life. From her statement about being a "science geek" and the face that she made within that episode to have been a cover up. So therefore anything about a memory pertaining to high school is my own interpretation. For I believe that Sara should at least have four good years of memories to look back onto. 

I apologize in advance if I do not update for a while (on any of my stories)as I have personal issues to attend to and will have no time to write.

Thank you. And as always reviews warm my heart.


	9. From Cruelty To Unpredictable Kindness

Sara lay still in the darkness after she had screamed. She had frightened herself, all of those memories that had surfaced from the depths of her past. The memories she had worked so hard to bury inside. But now they all flooded back as wounding as ever. She lay silent and still for she could no longer do otherwise. She had no more strength to fight the thick leather that had begun to bite into her flesh. She had no more strength to breathe fully let alone speak or cry out any longer. Her throat was burning once again as well as her thirst that threatened to overcome her.

Then she felt his presence behind her and then the loosening of the straps that held her within the chair. Sara began to fall forward but felt his arms encircle her, holding her to him, supporting her weak body against his. His arms were not cruel but instead were strong and careful. As if he cared in some twisted way or maybe that he felt remorse for her, for what he had done to her. Maybe it had been too much or maybe it was remorse for something not yet done.

Her captor picked her up and carried her back into the dull gray room now shed of the red blanket that had once been there. Now she herself was the only color to highlight the room. Her paling porcelain skin and her emerald lace bra and panties seemed to give off a vibrant glow within the monotonous room. He left her lying on the bed, sure she would not move, for she was so weak. And just as soon as he had left, he returned, carrying a white dress within one hand and a black bag in the other, what lay within unknown.

Sara only sighed and looked back up at the ceiling, for nothing now would matter. She had no strength to fight whatever he planned to do to her. All she could do was lay there and take it. She was surprised however, when he started to tend to the wounds that he had given her. He pulled the tape cubes delicately off of her eyes and softly began to wash her face. He wiped away the tear stains from her face and the glue residue that had been left behind. He then sat her up and began to brush her tangled hair, pulling it up into a delicate bun in the back with cascading curls both on the bun and the front of her face.

He then began to wrap her hands, wrists, and ankles in gauze and then again in silk. Placing a new set of panties on the bed he motioned for her to change and to use the wash cloth if she wanted. He helped her stand and turned towards the wall waiting for her to be decent.

Sara thought this was strange of this man, for he had before touched her without the slightest concern. This kindness scared her more than the cruelty that he had shown her before. For his cruelty was predictable his kindness however lay an un-tread road.

Sara had carefully stood and shakily discarded her old panties and clothed herself in the new ones. She washed up as much as her dizziness allowed her. He turned back around when she dropped the wash cloth back into the bowl full of hot water that sat on the end of the bed. Her captor then picked the dress up off the bed and gently placed it over her head, slipping it down her body. The dress ended at the floor, Sara's feet barely showing. It was simple and elegant, a dress Sara herself would have bought to wear no where. To fill her full closet with the emptiness that she would never wear. Now however she was going somewhere. Where she did not know for she did not ask, for she did not want to know.

He stood away from her and watched her sway slightly as she tried to remain standing. She looked beautiful all dressed up, truly a natural beauty. Sara finally fell back down on the bed, for the dizziness had finally won the battle that she had been waging with it.

As her captor cleaned up, Sara noticed for the first time the camera now set up in this room. It was smaller then one in the prior room and was set up at the end of the bed and was pointed directly at her. She sighed again and let herself slump back into the bed. Nothing worse could come now, for she was too numb for feeling.

Yet he only turned the camera on when he returned and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. He turned towards her and said, "This is your finally chance to say your goodbyes to your friends." It wasn't the usual cruel tone he had used before, it was soft and full of compassion, if that was even plausible.

Sara looked at her captor and then to the camera. She had so many words to say if this were in fact the end of her life. But they all jumbled into a big catastrophe of nothing. And so the only words that Sara uttered were, "I'm so sorry," pausing then whispering, "I'm so sorry, for I think this is goodbye."

"I'm so sorry."

Her captor then gets up and shuts the camera off. A single tear falls from Sara's eye as he carries her back out into the other room and sets her back down into the chair she had not to long ago been strapped in. Her captor then puts a new disc into the computer and pushes the enter button. Turning back towards her, he gently wipes the tear from her face, whispering, "Come on we're going for a ride."

And with that he carries her yet again out into the sunrise.

* * *

A/N: I am back, with vengeance. So sorry for the delay, hopefully it will not happen again soon. I should be updating again sometime in the near future.

As always reviews warm my heart.


	10. Finding Everything Nowhere

Sara had appeared once more in front of them, dressed in an outfit fit for an angel. Looking into the camera, speaking those soft words, apologizing for nothing, for nothing was her fault. And yet she still did so, caring more for them than for herself. She did not plead for her own life, nor did she cry. Her face remained stoic, only her eyes holding the emotions that boiled within her. And then once more she disappeared.

The screen turned black yet again, only to turn white a few minutes later. Loading a new website; what lay within, unknown.

Words appeared across the screen, beginning with the name of a warehouse:

**TEACREST & COMPANY**

_Come & Find_

_As Much Evidence_

_Of Our Dear Angel_

_As You Can_

_Perhaps It Will Save Her_

After which the USB and page expired removing itself from the computers screen. Now the only thing that the team saw was the monarch butterfly that floated gracefully on the background.

* * *

It hadn't taken long for the team to arrive at the warehouse, nor had it taken them long to get inside. They didn't expect to find her there for that would have been too easy. But with high hopes they expected, rather hoped, that they would find some clue to where Sara was now. They had last seen her beautiful, lain out on a bed, and they hoped to get her back into her own in the very near future. 

All that lay within this warehouse was a separate room, most likely at some point used as an office. Except for now, the only thing occupying this room was a stripped bed. Outside of this office in the middle of the expansive warehouse was only a computer that sat upon an old table void of anything else.

And so again the team stood before a computer, their only link they had to Sara and waited.

* * *

Catherine paced the room waiting for something to happen in the deafening silence that they all sat in. "How can he leave absolutely no evidence at two goddamned locations?" 

"I don't know Cath. But what I do know is we're going to find her no matter what."

"Yeah and how do you know that Nick? Who's to say she's not already…who's to say she's…" Catherine lost her words, afraid to say what she thought, afraid that what she thought may be true.

"Because ya'll found me and Sara is strong."

Grissom then broke into the conversation, staring into the blank computer screen, speaking into it rather than to them, "For all we know Sara hasn't eaten or slept in a week. She's been in her hell with that man for over a week. I know that Sara is a very strong person, stronger than all of us even, but with all she's been through I doubt even she can be strong."

"Ya know what Gris, we're all trying to think optimistically in this situation and you've gotta bring it all down." Warrick says harshly, standing, brushing past Greg, and approaching Grissom with hostility, only to have Brass step in front of him to stop his advance.

"I never said she didn't have the spirit, she will always have that Warrick," Grissom utters, standing from the folding chair he sat in, now adverting his attention to the team, "and I know we are all very exhausted both physically and emotionally. So let us not bicker about this and set our minds rather on Sara. For she deserves our full attention."

Deafening silence reenters the room as everyone falls back into their unspoken thoughts.

* * *

A/N: Hope you all liked this chapter, even though Sara is not present. She'll be in the next chapter, I think. I'll try to update soon but lately this site hasn't been too kind to me. 

As always reviews warm my heart.


	11. Sand Hills Pass On By

Hills of endless sand past by the window Sara stared out of. She wondered if it would be the last bit of nature she would ever see again, the last bit of world she would ever exist in. Sara wondered if she would die amongst those hills, where no ocean lay beyond. She wondered if this was truly her end. For the first time in the last week or so, for she had lost track of time, Sara pitied herself and her lonely existence. Not only did she pity her sad excuse of a life she had been living, but she pitied herself in her current position. She was so hungry she could no longer feel the hunger; she was so thirsty she could no longer feel her thirst; she was so tired she could no longer find her strength.

Sara watched the hills pass by until they started to fade from light to dark shadows and once again she fell into her black miasma that imprisoned her. Sara had not seen her captor turn around nor had she felt the needle that he stuck into her hip yet again. Sara did not know that she had not simply fallen asleep after her exhaustion finally took over her and swept her into the darkness. Sara did not know what lay ahead or where she was headed, but maybe that was a small miracle at best.

* * *

Her neck was stiff as she opened her eyes. Above her shown a thin bit of light that was soon fading as an object blocked it completely out. And then she closed her eyes again, feeling like dreaming in both worlds; reality and make-believe.

* * *

Water rushed in, she was drowning. 

She couldn't breath.

It burned.

Her lungs begged for air.

She thrashed around, trying to break free from the waters' tomb. But her hands only scrapped at tile and glass. A pitiful attempt at breaking free from the unbreakable walls, thrashing at the hands that held her beneath. It was then that Sara awoke again, water pounding on her face. She moved stiffly away and sat within the middle of the darkness. The water had begun to puddle around her as her eyes got used to the dark. She was sitting in a tub, the ceramic sleek against her hand, water rushing over it. There was no drain. There were no knobs. Only tile, glass, and two shower heads that were located on both sides of her. The shower head on the right was the one pounding down into the tub.

Sara stood placing her hands against the cold tile walls. The cold water now beat into her side. She looked up only to see more glass and a tiny green light shining in the corner. As Sara reached out to touch it, the second shower head came on. Only this one pounded out scalding hot water. When the hot water hit Sara's other side, she screamed a guttural scream and lost her footing on the bottom of the slippery tub. Her head connected with the ledge of the tub, creating a gash that bleed into the clear dark water. Sara's eyes closed as she was lost into her unconsciousness.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the very long delay. Haven't had time for the writing but hopefully next week when I take off for my own spring break, I will have a lot more free time for my stories. 

Hope you all loved it. And as always reviews warm my heart.


	12. Grasping On To Nothing

The silence defined the room as the cruel atmosphere surrounded them. Once again the screen before them turned on. The sickly glowing green, spread throughout the small enclosure they watched upon. The figure which lay upon the bottom of it, splayed out like a forgotten doll. Small ringlets framed her face as the water began to pound down on her. Seeming to replace her with a sheet of water crystals, which poured down her tired and beaten body. Cleansing her from all of the unknown.

They watched as they had before. Not being able to tear their eyes off of her. Praying her to wake and rise from her entrenchments. But they all knew, all too well, that this venture would not be that simple. Not in the slightest.

* * *

Each sat circling the table, watching and waiting, waiting for her to wake up, waiting for anything, waiting for anything to happen. Sitting in waiting, having nothing to do. Having nothing to do in the act of helping her. Not being able to comfort her in her pain. Not being able to make her safe. Not having even a shred of evidence, no leads, and no clues into where she might be or who was doing this. Sitting and waiting, was enough to drive each and every one of them to the verge of insanity. To the verge of not knowing what to do with themselves. And yet they sat, they sat and waited, confined in the deafening silence that surrounded them. Confined in the deafening silence of the water rushing down upon her. 

She rose before them slowly, sitting, and looking wide-eyed at the very dark air that surrounded her. The water puddled around her, her white dress floating delicately in the water. Her hand moved across the stream of water, causing it to rush over making ripples to crash into her curled up leg. She looked around; her eyes now adjusted to the darkness and surveyed the surroundings of her new imprisonment. She stood slowly placing her hands onto the tiled walls, stiffly rising from the bottom. She looked around and then looked to them. She reached out to them, beckoning them to grasp back, grasp back like the air that only held up her hand. Another stream of water then began to pound down upon her, and she screamed. They watched as her face twisted painfully, they watched as she slipped her screaming pounding through the walls of the warehouse. They watched in horror as her head hit the ledge of the tub, as her head began to bleed, as the blood ran down her face to mix within the pooling water that surrounded her.

She did not wake from her unconsciousness as the water began to rise higher around her. She began to float before them rising with the water. It wasn't until her head fell beneath the waters surface, that the silent sound of water rushing through the warehouse was replaced by sobs from within it.

* * *

A/N: Well, it was a shorty short but what can one do, what comes what flows.

Reviews warm my heart.


	13. Lost Within The Past

_Flashback/Dream_

Yelling consumed the house. It was nothing different than any other day. No one heard because the nearest houses were more than one-hundred-yards away. No one knew what went on within the walls of that house. No one knew how the little girl suffered.

She hid when the fighting started and curled into a bawl in the corner of the living room, praying that tonight she would go unnoticed. But just as every other night she never did.

A smack resounded through the room, and then stillness followed. Heavy footsteps broke the silence, as they walked towards the corner where the little girl was. A strong grasp at her tiny arm and she was hanging in the air. A large hand grabbing at her chin forcing the child to look at him. Small golden brown doe-like eyes pierced his, strawberry-blonde curls framing her face, her pink dress and tights with her black dress shoes clinging to her tiny form. No look of love or compassion crossed the mans face, as it never did. He threw the child to the floor only to pick her up again and hit her across the face. Blood spilled from her nose, for it was broken, and tears built up from before, fell freely from her eyes.

The woman sat on the floor, watching her child helplessly try to escape the wrath of her fathers' hands. And watched as he pushed her again to the floor where she lay unmoving.

The man left the room silently leaving his wife and child to themselves. The woman got up like a ghost and walked to her child, picking her up like she did most nights. She walked out of the room and into the darkened foyer, climbing the stairs slowly. Walking down the long hallway that followed the ascent up the curving stairs, the woman passed many doors and walked into the lighted one at the end of the hallway. Running water into the clawed-foot tub, the woman undressed her child delicately as to not hurt her anymore than she had been that night.

The water was warm and nipped at the child's skin just enough to sooth her bruises. Her mother wiped away the blood from her face with a wash cloth, and settled down on her knees in front of the tub.

Small golden brown doe-like eyes looked at her mother, wanting her comfort and love. But neither were found within her mothers' eyes, rather she saw pity. The little girl had hoped to find anything but pity within her mothers' eyes, but she knew now that her mother could no longer feel good things.

Her mother took in the image of her fragile child, looking so small within the gigantic tub, how pale her skin was compared to the bruises that marked her skin. How lost and vulnerable she seemed.

"I'm so sorry Sara." Whispered the mother to her child as she held her underneath the waters surface, the little girl fought with the little strength she had left, her lungs burned for air, she needed to breathe, and so did, filling her lungs with water. The little girl went slack in under her mothers hand and the woman cried out.

No one would hear her desperate cries as she pulled her child out of the tub, cradling her in her arms. No one would hear the mothers' desperate cries as she tried to revive her child. No one would hear the child cough up the water from her lungs or take her new breath. No one would hear as the mother gasped in horror at what she had just done.

No one would know what happened within this house for it was covered up in secrecy and lies, bows and lace, hidden behind the small golden brown doe-like eyes of a little girl with strawberry-blonde curls framing her face, and her dresses and tights and her black dress shoes.

Hidden behind the bruises of a little girl.

* * *

A/N: If it doesn't make sense to you now it will in the next chapter. That's how it usually is with me. :smiles:

Happy Earth Day to everyone. (and B-day to me. lol)


	14. Rise Up Dear Angel

A/N: An apology in advance for the very long delay. :smile:

* * *

Sara still lay motionless under the water that now rose over the ledge of the tub. Her eyes moved beneath her eyelids, flickering back and forth remembering the horrors of long ago. Her arms grasped at hands that no longer held her beneath the surface of the water. She opened her mouth to scream out at the shadow that came from her past, and water yet again filled her lungs. Only within this reality did Sara strike up and choke out the water that held her lungs and throwing up the emptiness of her stomach. Her lungs burned as she breathed in new breaths and her throat burned of the bile that escaped her stomach. 

Her hair lay plastered to the sides of her face, curls springing at the bottom. Each breath she took flashed a memory. A smile of her old friends. The cruel face of her father. The pity of her mother. The bruises of her childhood. The friendships of her co-workers. Sara rose from the blood stained water and touched the soft flesh of her wound on the back of her head. She grimaced as nausea gripped her senses but receded as she took away her hand and placed it on the cold tiled walls. The water that came from the shower heads now, was icy cold, but Sara did not react because her body had already gotten used to the chilled water when she lay beneath it. Her breath was still ragged as she stood within the middle of the tub, letting out clouds of smoke as she breathed out like in a winter storm.

This time she did not pay much attention to the camera, for she knew that they could only watch as of now. She began to hit the tiled walls, hoping to find a weak spot, but she did not. However what she did find was a smooth surface that was revealed to her after she struck one of the two longer walls that did not have the shower heads mounted upon them. When Sara struck this wall tiles crashed down into the water beneath her reveal a smooth surface, causing Sara to curse out loud. She turned around and looked up to the camera pointing towards the wall and said, "It's Plexiglas."

If they were in fact watching her, Sara was going to make dame sure that she would help them and herself as much as she could.

* * *

Relief passed over the warehouse when Sara seemingly came back to life for the second time that day. Thrashing back into the world that today it seemed, wanted her out of it. Tension rose and fell in intervals within the warehouse as the team watched and listened to there only remaining connection to Sara. 

As she rose for the second time from the depths of the water and felt her wound, her gasp barely reached their ears. They watched as she felt around her surroundings yet again and broke apart one of the walls. They heard Sara curse and turn toward them pointing towards the wall she had just broken down and say roughly, "It's Plexiglas."

Everyone within the warehouse started to speak at the same time; voicing opinions of what they should do next, but were all silenced when Greg stood up and shouted at them. "Would you all shut the fuck up, Sara's trying to help _us_ find _her_ and with you all talking we could be missing something important." Greg paused and recovered himself, then continued, "Now, the more sets of eyes we have watching and the more sets of ears we have listening the better."

The room stood stunned and silent, yet they obeyed to the younger mans request and sat back down within their chairs and watched the screen for anything to get them one step closer to finding Sara Sidle.

* * *

A/N: I am back, and should hopefully be able to get up chapters for each of my stories quickly, unless like "my supposed to be slightly un-busy spring" ends up to be "my supposed to be slightly un-busy summer" as well. Which I hope doesn't end up being the case but what comes what may. 

And as always reviews warm my heart. :smile:


	15. Falling Beneath The Ineveitable

Moving about the small enclosure was beginning to become harder as the water was about neck high, leaving only a few feet of air above Sara. She hit against the ceiling of the enclosure praying to herself that she be able to break free but was thwarted as she yet again hit Plexiglas that was bolted down.

Sara realized that her time was now quickly running out, that the next time that the water rose above her head would be her third strike and her game of life was over.

It is then that Sara looks towards the camera once more, her eyes pleading for a miracle to come from the unknown. But she knows all too well that one will not. She learned very early in life that miracles do not come true, that they do not exist, much like the life she had wished to live.

* * *

The screen goes blank, leaving everyone with the image of Sara looking towards the camera defeat written on her features. But the computer begins to run again, with a puzzle of questions winding to a prize. The kidnappers face appears in a darkened area and speaks to them. 

"It seems as though you are all enjoying my spectacular show. I believe the setting suits our Cali-girl quite well, don't you think?" He pauses then picks up again, "However it does not matter what you think, because je suis l'ange de toutes les choses terribles et maintenant je serai un de pitié. Espérons que Sara a les ouïes d'une sirène, parce que elle tiendra son souffle dans l'attente." And with a hoarse laugh, "Chasse heureuse."

The screen went blank and left everyone within the warehouse puzzled, only Catherine spoke her confusion, "What the fuck did he say?"

Shifting in his seat uncomfortably, Nick spoke up, "It's French…he said that he is the angel of all things gruesome, but now he's giving us mercy and that we should hope that Sara is like a mermaid for she will be waiting underwater. And he said "happy hunting or finding" something like that."

"How do you know French Nick?" asked Catherine with exhaustion.

"Sara taught me while I was laid up to get my mind off of everything."

"Think it means something man." Warrick piped in.

"If it does, then he's been watching her for longer then we've realized. But I doubt it means anything more then what he said." As Nick finished speaking the screen completed loading and gave the names of four other abandoned warehouses:

**_Panscraig Meat Co._**

_**Sampson & Co.**_

**_Red Assail Packing Co._**

_**Tearing & Co.**_

_Think Intelligently & Save Our Floating Beauty_

The team surrounded the computer and stared at their new message. Greg fell back into his chair exasperated, speaking in an almost whisper, "She could be at anyone of those locations."

Pointing towards the screen, Grissom spoke, "She's at the third warehouse."

"How do you know that?" Questioned Brass.

"Because Red Assail is an anagram for Sara Sidle, just rearrange the words and there you have "thinking intelligently"."

"Well then what are we waiting for to find "our floating beauty"?" quipped Greg.

While everyone filed out of the warehouse, Brass called attention to the officers in waiting. Ordering a team of ten to search each of the three other abandoned warehouses in precaution, and followed the rest of the team out to the SUV's speeding away to the Red Assail Packing Co. warehouse.

* * *

Within the warehouse the screen turned back to the feed of Sara while no one was watching. Most of her body was now completely submerged and she had to continually move both her arms and feet to stay afloat. She had now only an inch of breathing room, and she was already without much strength left. She prayed that they were no longer watching as her body finally gave into the inevitable and she floated beneath the water that now filled the entire enclosure. The shower heads turned off and all was silent within the now completely dark tub. There was a flash of light from above her and she looked up into it. All Sara could think about was these would be her last moments in life.

* * *

A/N: Ah oh.

Perhaps in the next chapter or the one after that you shall all learn the fate of Sara Sidle. I should update soon, but you never know because the next chapter still remains scrambled in my mind.

As always reviews warm my heart.


	16. An Angel Falls From Heaven

A/N: Fate has arrived on the fourth of July. :smiles:

* * *

Sirens burst through the hot Nevada air. Red lights flashed across the many weaving streets, had it been night, the red lights would have shown up all of the lights of Sin City. Dawn had just broken and the sun was just rising above the horizon, shedding light on the land that never slept. The silhouettes of the team ridding in the front car of the long procession provided to be just as grim as the tension that continually rose as each minute passed. The only noise within the SUV was the GPS directing the officer in the drivers' seat were they were headed.

* * *

Sara stared up at the light that shown down on her. She knew it not to be heaven, for no angels would be coming to save her from her watery tomb. Just as well, for she had never believed in heaven or hell, and maybe she had been right in thinking that when you die that's it. There is no after life, no reincarnation. It was a wonderful story to believe in when she had nothing else to hold onto as a child. But she was no longer that child, and fairy tales could no longer save her from the grasps of her harsh reality.

* * *

As they neared the outskirts of the city at an ever fastening pace, the team stared out of the windows upon the expansive desert that seemed to stretch out into eternity that seemingly touched the edges of the sun. The winding road that they traveled was empty, and they now were reaching speeds encroaching dangerously upon 100 mph. This was a race against time, time was crucial, and was beginning to run out rapidly.

* * *

Floating in the water that now had streaks of lights slashing through it mystified Sara. She remembered the times when she was younger and would dive down as far as she could within the depths of the ocean and look up into the light that tried to grasp her from above. Sara shivered as she once again felt the cold that would race down her spine as the arctic water of the bottom of the ocean would make her skin ridged with goose bumps. Sara remembered as her friends used to search for her, playing it as a game. Sara usually always won because she could hold her breath the longest, but sometimes someone would get lucky and find her, bringing her back up to the surface. Only now as Sara stared through the foggy Plexiglas did she hope that this would be one of those lucky times, were the metal doors beyond her would open, and someone would set her free from her watery tomb.

* * *

Tears fell from every eye as they neared the warehouse that could be seen clearly in the distance. They were so near yet they would not know what they would find there. Would she be there or was this just another piece of the puzzle that her captor had created. And if it was in fact where Sara actually was, would they find her alive or dead? Hearts started to beat faster in waiting as they arrived at the gates of the warehouse. The officer climbed out and raced to the back of the SUV to grab the metal cutters. He ran with the tool to the gate and broke the chain that locked the gates, pulling it off and throwing it aside along with the tool. The officer ran back to the car and rammed the gates open. They had now reached the metal doors of the warehouse.

* * *

Sara was beginning to fade as her vision began to become impaired, and she now was struggling to hold her breath. Her hope had fallen away from her as well as her faith in her own will to survive. She had now accepted that she was no longer in control. Not in the least sense. She thought that she had gone insane when she heard banging on the metal doors, and then when they opened she surely thought that she had lost her mind. But when she saw the familiar forms of her friends, she knew that she could not be hallucinating. 

Using the only strength that she had left, Sara began to hit against the thick Plexiglas. They ran towards her pressing their palms against the glass in an attempt to calm her down, which was successful when she pressed both her palms against the glass as well. Sara's heart stopped beating and her vision faded away with the image of her friends coming to rescue her. Her hands slipped from the glass as she floated now not of her own accord. In the light that streamed down upon her, Sara looked like an angel floating up to heaven, with white silk draped around her. Her hair flowed through the water, glistening in the light that held her in suspension of life.

Sara was gone when they began to saw through the Plexiglas that held her within her watery tomb. As they removed the slab of plastic, water began to flow out, pushing back the men holding onto the slab. The water rushed out with Sara coming crashing from the top, to the cement floor of the warehouse. Water flowed over her body as the paramedics moved in to resuscitate her.

She lay unmoving as the paramedics cut the dress off of her soaking wet body, when CPR did not bring her back; the Defibrillator pack was opened and applied to her still warm skin. Sara's body rose with each application of electric shock. When Sara's heart finally gave into the electricity that coursed through her body, the room let out a sigh of relief, the silence that had been there released itself as Sara choked water out of her lungs. Sara was thenput onto a stretcher and placed into an awaiting ambulance.

The team sat on the dusty ground of the desert and stared out into the now risen sun that Sara had raced off into. It was over. They had Sara safe and sound on her way to the hospital, but even that was not for sure. Sara was not out of the woods yet and neither were they. They still had to find the bastard that did this to her with evidence that they did not have. They all had a long road of recovery to deal with. And Sara's survival was the first step.

* * *

A/N: So Happy 4th to all of you. I hope my prezzie of Sara living, (for now, muahaha), made it even more special for you. Even though that is quite coincided of me to say. :smiles: 

Reviews warm the heart, as do fireworks.


	17. All The Stars On The Outside

A/N: Uhmm...so yeah the line thing doesn't work(if anyone can tell me why please don't hesitate to speak up) and I apologize in advance for the long wait.

------

Sara grasped the cool white linen sheets into the palms of her hands. As she opened her eyes onto the dark room, she sighed. A window lay in the right hand corner of the room displaying the stars of the Nevada night to her renewed eyes.

The room was eerily silent aside from Sara's ragged breathing and a few beeping monitors. As she looked around the pale white room, she found herself alone. Every chair lay abandoned as if no one had sat in any of them. Although there were several empty chairs in her single room, the fact remained that she was alone now. As she sighed again and closed her eyes, Sara heard footsteps fall into the room. When she did not recognize them, Sara opened her eyes and found a nurse standing beside her bed.

"Ah, you're awake darlin'," drawled the nurse. "My name is Sue, and I'm here to change your dressin's" She smiled down at Sara and continued, "I promise I'll be real gentle, so you just close those pretty eyes of yours and get some rest. You need to be good and rested for when your friends get back. They've been real worried about you."

As the nurse started to unwrap one of her bandages, Sara smiled and watched the stars in the sky outside her window until they started to fade away from her sight.

------

"I don't understand why they had to kick us out."

"They're changing her dressings Greg, its called privacy," explained Catherine who leaned back in her chair. The team sat in the cafeteria of the hospital, with trays of untouched food before them.

Warrick spoke up in an angry tone, "I really don't believe that this bastard didn't leave one shred of goddamned evidence behind!"

There was a long silence that was broken with a simple statement. "It's up to Sara to provide us with the information now." Grissom declared, his calm resolve still not faltering. All eyes fell onto Grissom, as he stared outside the window. Angry eyes fell upon him, but none spoke a word.

------

Sara awoke from a black filled sleep with a jolt. Her eyes scanning the room finding several faces watching her. She smiled briefly at them and sentiments were shared, although after a few moments Sara stopped the onslaught with a raise of her hand.

"Do you have a pen and paper?" Sara asked in a rough voice, coughing severely afterwards.

When handed the requested items Sara started to sketch a picture, skillfully, as if she were a well seasoned artist. Although her hand was not as refined with the bandages constricting most of her movements, Sara still managed to shade and erase several times until she finished and handed the picture over to Catherine.

"Is this the man who kidnapped you honey?" Catherine questioned in her maternal soaked voice.

Sara only replied with a nod of her head and as she attempted to roll onto her side she learned of the cuts on her back. Sara stopped and looked at the bandages covering most of her arms but most pronounced around her wrists.

"What cut me?"

Nick sat down on the edge of her bed, keeping his distance in order not to startle her. "The floor of the warehouse was covered with glass shards and other debris. So when you fell you got stuck with some of them, but you're gunna heal up just fine, hun'."

Nick placed his hand on top of Sara's to try and comfort her, but Sara only pulled her hand away and whispered roughly, "I'd like to be left alone for awhile."

------

A/N: So yes reviews make me all warm and bubbly inside. So it's good to do so.

Hopefully be able to post again soon, love you guys.


	18. Neon Lights Burning Bright

A/N: Yes, yes, a very long delay but I hope this will please you all and tie you over for a bit longer (that is until I am able to write the next chappie, which should be sometime soon).

* * *

Neon lights burned into the pitch black of the night. A breath sighed heavily from deep inside a broken soul. A heartbeat sounded into the night, slashing the silence like a blade. Footsteps falling in place just behind hers, footsteps following her in the same brisk walk, footsteps falling just as light as hers, falling into the same footprints as her own. The streets lay empty as snow began to fall, the hills of the desert stretching out beyond the dark horizon. Smoke began to fog the streets, enveloping anything in its path. She ran now, running away from the footsteps and the smoke. But they both followed her no matter how fast she ran from them. Eventually the footsteps fell in line with hers and the smoke began to twist around her. She breathed in the dark vapor and could no longer breathe. Falling to the pavement, her head hitting the ground, she turned to look up at the very bright sky that seemed to beckon her from the heavens.

Sara awoke to a nurse calling her name. She was lying on the floor, staring now into the bright light of the hospital. Night stared back at her through the blinds of the window. A dull throb coursed through her body; until suddenly it felt like lightning bolts coursing through her body. Sara screamed as the nurse tried to give Sara her pain medication through her intravenous tube. Ripping it out of her arm, her blood staining the linoleum floor, Sara lifted herself up off the floor, pushing both nurses to the floor and ran out into the hallway. Sara's feet moved without her accord until she reached the depths of a dark closet. She knew people had seen her, that they had followed her and that they stood outside the door whispering about her. Her head was spinning with words spoken long ago, moments that changed her, and then all went dark.

This time Sara awoke to the sound of knocking. She felt as if she had been sleeping for hours but the slow rapping on the door told her it had only been a few moments of darkness. A soft voice spoke to her through the door, coaxing her to come out of the darkness. Sara's entire body continued to throb, the blood now pooling on the bandage of her left hand from where she had torn the needle from her arm. She slowly crawled towards the door, placing her hand on the cold metal handle and turning it ever so slowly until the lock clicked open and allowed a sliver of light shine through. It was then that she crawled back into the darkness into the far corner of the closet. The door was slowly swung open until all Sara could see were these figures bathed in the bright light of the world outside. A hand reached toward her but Sara did not take it. All she did was stare up towards them, completely silent.

From the figures view Sara was shining in her white hospital gown, her hair now a mess looked beautiful as it outlined her innocent looking face. Her eyes stared blanking at them striking them somewhere deep within their souls, eyes that looked so deep that they stripped them all of their thoughts and for a few moments the figures stared in an ephemeral embrace with Sara. It was broken just as a spell would and they helped Sara gently out of the closet and into the bright lights of the hospital. She was only but a ghost as they led her back to her room seemingly floating across the floor.

The nurses tended to her new wound and to the old ones which Sara had reopened in her rush of insanity. Sara lay still beneath the white sheets of the hospital, her eyes staring heavily at the ceiling. The team looked upon her from the viewing window next to the door. They looked at a woman lost within herself and her past. A woman yet a child screaming out for redemption. A woman screaming out for a cleansed soul. A woman whose eyes shared so much of the truths that lay unspoken. The night outside lay as a dark reminder that soon Sara would have to relive every horrid moment of her life.

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A/N: So here is where I apologize for the delay. I am sorry. I love you all for reading my story and for dealing with my MIA periods. And of course, as always, reviews warm my heart. 


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